Rural Dictionary

Boffo

'Boffo' refers to a tool for creating illusion, specifically to propagandise a position of power. It originates from Terry Pratchett's book "Wintersmith", where Tiffany, an apprentice witch to the ancient Miss Treason, discovers that stuck to the bottom of a skull she is dusting is a price tag from Boffo's Magic Shop, completely destroying her illusion that the skull is authentic human remains. She then finds a Boffo Magic Shop catalogue and discovers that Miss Treason's spooky house is in fact peppered with props from Boffo's, right down to the purple wart on the end of her mistress's nose.

Rather than being motivated by an act of self-aggrandisement, however, Miss Treason understands that her villagers need her to fulfil the role of the all-powerful witch in order to wield the authority required to settle disputes and keep everyone in line. 'Boffo' is way of creating the illusion that everyone needs for village life to remain peaceful.

In a nutshell, 'boffo' can be thought of as anything that acts as a social marketing tool to change perception. Everything from company logos to uniforms to lipstick creates a particular, often illusory, version of reality, and could be called boffo. Sometimes this even serves a purpose beyond personal gain. The white coat of the doctor is a good example - it serves as a symbol of medical authority and in the past has helped people accept the role of the doctor as expert.

Flicking through the pages of Vogue, she realised that the advertisements were simply boffo; they created an illusion of exclusivity which kept her in a place of constant, low-grade desire.

by Lunafi June 21, 2022

Boffo

Originally a joke shop in Terry Pratchett's Discworld, run by a witch.

1- An item from joke shop

2- The things that people expect to see, the thing that makes a witch seem real. An illusion.

"I bought a Boffo Cauldron today."

"People expect a witch to have bad skin and warts, but she has a lovely complexion, so she has to order warts from Boffo."

"Boffo intimidates people and makes people respect you. Otherwise, they won't take you seriously."

by AnkhianMorePork October 31, 2011

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